General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes
Posted by:
Tom Iwanski
()
Date: November 29, 2001 03:09PM
<HTML>Hi Forest,
I had also heard from a U.S. Navy Liberator crewman who flew ASW over the Bay of Biscay that contact fuses were not used, as a contact explosion would likely damage the aircraft. Since the aircraft attacked from such a low altitude, the crew needed to get some distance from the blast radius of the bomb or risk blowing themselves out of the sky. A contact fuse did not allow the aircraft enough time to get that safe distance.
Nonetheless, I have read some accounts of depth charges exploding on contact. I don't know whether these reports are incorrect or whether the charges exploded by mistake. An example is the account of the sinking of U-1059 in the book "Battle Beneath the Waves" by Robert Stern.
Regards,
Tom</HTML>
I had also heard from a U.S. Navy Liberator crewman who flew ASW over the Bay of Biscay that contact fuses were not used, as a contact explosion would likely damage the aircraft. Since the aircraft attacked from such a low altitude, the crew needed to get some distance from the blast radius of the bomb or risk blowing themselves out of the sky. A contact fuse did not allow the aircraft enough time to get that safe distance.
Nonetheless, I have read some accounts of depth charges exploding on contact. I don't know whether these reports are incorrect or whether the charges exploded by mistake. An example is the account of the sinking of U-1059 in the book "Battle Beneath the Waves" by Robert Stern.
Regards,
Tom</HTML>
Subject | Written By | Posted |
---|---|---|
Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes | Forest | 11/29/2001 02:50AM |
Re: Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes | Johannes | 11/29/2001 10:06AM |
Re: Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes | Tom Iwanski | 11/29/2001 03:09PM |
Re: Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes | AL Wellman | 11/29/2001 07:46PM |
Re: Correction on Depth Bombs - For Johannes | Rainer Kolbicz | 11/29/2001 08:02PM |